Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) resumes in Toluca, Mexico with the Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament. Twenty one players are making the trip to Mexico for the tournament with LPRT #1 Paola Longoria the odds on favourite to continue her winning streak that goes back to May 2011.

We anticipate some interesting matches this weekend beginning in the Round of 32 with battle of two young players: Bolivian Maria Jose Vargas and American Hailey Miller. The winner will play Longoria in the Round of 16.

Other potential Round of 16 matches of interest will be Samantha Salas Solis against 4th seed Kerri Wachtel, as Wachtel had an early exit at the US Open and will be looking to improve her ranking by going deep in the draw this weekend.

Another match of interest will be 3rd seed Krystal Csuk versus former #1 Jackie Paraiso (though Paraiso needs to win a match to face Csuk). Csuk and Wachtel are close in the rankings and their rankings may flip if Wachtel's results are better than Csuk's this weekend.

Also in the 16s, LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich will likely face Jessica Parrilla, and veteran Cheryl Gudinas will be up against Cristina Amaya.

Play begins on Friday morning with the Round of 32 matches. The Round of 16 matches will be Friday afternoon and evening, then the quarter finals and semi-finals will go on Saturday and final on Sunday.

The Red Swain Shootout begins tomorrow in Davison, Michigan and there are 36 players vying for the third title of the 2012-13 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season. Twenty eight of those players need go through qualifying, so there are going to be two qualifying rounds on Thursday.

The most interesting name in qualifying is Mitch Williams, a former top 6 IRT player, who'll play Geoff Goldblatt first and then Andy Hawthorne for a chance to get into the main draw of 16 against his former doubles partner Ben Croft. Williams and Croft were International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champions in 2010.

Some other interesting prelim matches could be Jansen Allen and Juan Herrera, although both need to win a match in order to set up a playoff for a chance to play Alvaro Beltran in the 16s.

Also, veteran Cliff Swain is in the draw. He plays Canadian Eric Desrochers in the first round of qualifying with the winner to play Anthony Herrera in the second round for a spot against Tony Carson in the Round of 16.

Croft & Vanderson

Croft, who hasn't started the season well, has the toughest draw of the top 8 players, as he'll likely play Williams in the 16s and then, if he wins that, #1 seed Kane Waselenchuk will likely be waiting for him in the quarters finals. It's hard to improve your ranking with a draw like that.

A player who has had some good early season performances is Shane Vanderson, who reached the quarter finals at the US Open and took a game off of IRT #2 Rocky Carson before losing in the quarters. Vanderson's likely opponent in the 16s will be Javier Moreno, and then he'll probably be against 4th seed Jose Rojas. That could be a good match up for Vanderson, as Rojas fell in the 16s of the US Open to Daniel De La Rosa, so Rojas might not be at the top of his game.

Preliminary play begins Thursday November 1 in Davison, Michigan with the main draw of 16 set to go on Friday at 10 AM EDT.

Monday, October 29, 2012

The inaugural World Racquetball Tour (WRT) event was held this past weekend in Pleasanton, California, and Carlos Keller Vargas won the title by defeating Alejandro Cardona in the final, winning 15-10, 15-14. Keller Vargas came back in both games.

Cardona did win the doubles title, as he and Pedro Castro defeated Cullen and Anthony Schonberger, 15-7, 15-6. Cardona and Castro beat Keller Vagas and Kadim Carrasco in the semi-finals, 15-12, 15-11, while Cullen and Schonberger defeated James Swift and Dale Millhollin, 15-10, 15-2.

The World Racquetball Tour is aimed at highlighting players outside the top 8 on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and they've chosen to run events separately rather than as IRT Tier 2, 3, 4 or 5 events. The aim is to have young up and coming players compete for a chance to earn some decent payouts. For example, Keller Vargas received $1500 for the win and Cardona $1000 for second. Also, the doubles event winners got $1000.

This first event featured players from several different countries, although the Americans competing were almost all from California, except for Joshua Hungerford, who's from Oregon. Only one American - Aldana - got to the semis and only three were in the quarters.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Kane Waselenchuk remains #1 in the latest International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings, which came out last week. Rocky Carson also holds steady at #2, but Alvaro Beltran has moved up to #3, which ties his career high. Beltran was last in the #3 spot in 2009, when he was behind Carson and Jack Huczek.

Ben Croft, who has only won one match in two IRT events this season, has fallen to #6. Croft went out in the quarter finals in Kansas City and then lost in the 32s at the US Open to Alex Ackermann, who didn't crack the top 20 (he's 21st) with that win and the following victory over Anthony Herrera - the #11 IRT player.

Jose Rojas is also down a spot to #4 with Chris Crowther, who was a semi-finalist in the US Open, up one to #5.

After Croft, the top 10 is rounded out by Shane Vanderson in 7th, Tony Carson in 8th, Andy Hawthorne in 9th and Charlie Pratt in 10th.

The next IRT event is the Red Swain Shootout, November 1-4 in Davison, Michigan.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Some significant changes in the latest Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) rankings, as Krystal Csuk has reached a career high at #3 moving ahead of Kerri Wachtel, who's now in 4th. These rankings were done after the US Open earlier this month, which had a significant number of upsets and that's changed the LPRT top 20 considerably.

However, the #1 & #2 LPRT players remain the same: Paola Longoria, winner of the US Open earlier this month, is #1 and Rhonda Rajsich, US Open runner-up, is #2.

Susy Acosta has also moved up, as she moved into 5th ahead of Adrienne Fisher, who's now 6th, and Kristen Bellows now in 7th. Jennifer Saunders remains in 8th.

Rounding out the top 10 are Cristina Amaya in 9th and veteran Cheryl Gudinas in 10th. That's despite early exits from the US Open by both Amaya and Gudinas.

Good US Open performances have moved a few players up in the 10-20 ranking spots, including putting three players into the top 20 who weren't there before - one ever before, as Maria Paz Muñoz is ranked 20th after reaching the quarter finals in Minneapolis earlier this month.

The other two players are Veronica Sotomayor - US Open semi-finalist - who is ranked 17th and Jackie Paraiso - US Open quarter finalist and former women's #1 - who's at 19. Sotomayor hasn't been in the top 20 since 2010 and Paraiso hasn't been there in at least 6 years.

The next LPRT event is the Albierto Mexicano de Racquetas in Toluca, Mexico near Mexico City, from November 2-4. This is a Grand Slam event and will have the most prize money on the LPRT this season, even more than the US Open.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Another successful US Open ended this past weekend in Minneapolis, and there are a few more results worth mentioning, specifically the open division winners. Over the last decade, the US Open open division winners has typically been a non-American (always on the men's side and usually on the women's side) and 2012 was no exception to that, as this year the Open division winners were Carlos Keller Vargas of Bolivia and Veronica Sotomayor of Ecuador.

Keller Vargas, the current IRF World Junior Champion, beat Marco Rojas in the final, 15-4, 15-12. In the semi-finals, Keller Vargas defeated Alejandro Herrera, 15-14, 15-8 on one side, while Rojas ousted Sebastian Franco on the other, 15-12, 15-2.

The Men's Open doubles title went to Polo Gutierrez and Alejandro Landa, who were winners over Jansen Allen and Jake Bredenbeck, 15-10, 12-15, 11-3. Gutierrez and Landa beat Aaron Granberg and John Goth in one semi-final, 15-14, 15-9, while Allen and Bredenbeck beat Mike Orr and Shawn Royster in the other, 15-10, 15-4.

The Women's Open doubles division was a round robin with the deciding match being between Aimee Ruiz and Janel Tisinger and Jennifer Saunders and Keely Franks. They went to a tie-breaker before Ruiz and Tisinger emerged victorious, winning 15-13, 6-15, 11-4. Jackie Paraiso and Hailey Miller came third.

24

Paola Longoria's US Open victory was the 24th pro title of her career, and places her only one behind Rhonda Rajsich in career titles. Longoria's 5th on The Racquetball Blog's all time career women's pro winners (a list which may be incomplete for some years in the 1990s).

We have Lynn Adams with 45 career wins followed by Michelle Gould on 41, Cheryl Gudinas on 39 and Rajsich on 25.

It seems likely that Longoria will move past Rajsich by the end of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season, if not by the end of the calendar year, as there are four LPRT events before Christmas.

They are the Albierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament in Toluca, Mexico from November 2-4, the Puget Sound Challenge in Seattle from November 16-18, the World Professional Racquetball Championships in Cali, Colombia from November 30-December 2 and finally the Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia from December 7-9.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Kane Waselenchuk won his 8th US Open title Sunday by defeating Rocky Carson, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5, in the final of the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis. This was a repeat of the 2011 final, which Waselenchuk also won as part of a streak of five consecutive victories. It was the third time the #1 and #2 players on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) have played in the US Open final, as they also played the final in 2008.

There was an indication that it could go Carson's way in game one, as he had leads of 4-3 and 8-7. But Carson couldn't finish it off, as Waselenchuk won it 11-8.

After beginning the match with drive serves, Waselenchuk switched to lobs midway through game one and continued with that in game two, going out to a 6-1 lead.

But Carson fought back using drive serves and some drive z serves as well as off speed serves from the same service set up. He to to within one at 6-5 down.

Waselenchuk got two points to make it 8-5, and then they were stuck on that score for nine rallies. So long that it seemed the next point was going to be crucial.

Finally, after Waselenchuk got the serve back with a serve return kill shot, he drove serve to the left and ended the rally with a kill shot off on a set up from the back wall.

Carson didn't score again in game two.

Waselenchuk continued drive serving in game three, as he went out to 5-1 lead and extended that to 10-2. But Carson held off Waselenchuk's first match point with a serve return winner, and then got a few points of his own using drive z serves to the right side to make the score 10-5.

Waselenchuk got the serve back with a pinch shot winner of a Carson z serve to the left. That gave him a second match point, which he converted by drive serving down the right side with Carson skipping the return.

Afterwards, Waselenchuk said "I still feel I can get better, and I have a lot to learn." Hard to believe that's even possible given his record of accomplishment, but that's the attitude of a champion, who's "fighting to get better" every day.

Carson said he "felt great" during the match, but "couldn't finish the opportunities" that came his way. Waselenchuk put a lot of pressure on him to perform, and Carson performed well, but not well enough to carry the day.

Waselenchuk's victory is his 8th in 11 US Open appearances.

The US Open men's semi-finals and final were recorded for broadcast on the Tennis Channel in the USA on Thanksgiving weekend, November 24 and 25.

Paola Longoria successfully defended her title in the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) division at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis Sunday as she beat Rhonda Rajsich in three straight games, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10. It was the fourth consecutive year they'd met in the final with Rajsich winning the first two and now Longoria the last two.

Longoria was also US Open Champion in 2008.

Longoria started strong in game one, going up 10-1 before Rajsich stiffened her resolve fighting off three game points and getting a few more points before Longoria ended it at 11-4.

That seemed to provide some momentum for Rajsich as she took the early lead in game two at 3-0. Longoria came back with the next four points to hold a 4-3 advantage. But again Rajsich went ahead at 6-4.

Play went back and forth until it was tied 7-7. Then Longoria got four unanswered points to take game two 11-7 on her second game point opportunity.

Game three was similar to game two early on, as Rajsich again led at 3-0 and 4-3, but Longoria responded by running the score to 9-4. Rajsich dug in and got two back to make it 9-6, but then Longoria got to match point at 10-6.

However, Rajsich fought that off and then ran four points to tie the game at 10-10. They traded side outs a few times before Longoria got a point to make it 11-10. But it was on the second match point at 11-10 that Longoria won the match.

Longoria drove serve for some of the match but not as much as she did in the semi-finals against Veronica Sotomayor. Instead, she used half lobs and half lob z serves against Rajsich. For her part, Rajsich used a wide variety of serves, although only a few of them were drives.

Longoria has played nine US Opens and reached the finals the last five times, winning three of them. Rajsich has been a US Open nine of the twelve times she's competed, and she's won it four times.

The next LPRT event is the Albierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament in Toluca, Mexico November 2-4.

Woody Clouse won his fourth Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT) US Open title Sunday at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, as he defeated Keith Minor in three straight games, 9-5, 9-5, 9-0.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Woody Clouse, three time defending champion and #1 player on the Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT), has a chance to defend his title Sunday at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, as he won his semi-final match against Jeffrey Hanno, 9-2, 9-1, 9-4.

But Clouse's opponent is a surprise finalist, as 6th seed Keith Minor upset #2 seed Jimmy Lowe in the other semi, 9-4, 9-5, 9-7, to reach the US Open CPRT final for the first time.

The two top seeds are still alive in the Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT) division at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, but #1 seed and three time defending champion needed five games to stay that way, as Woody Clouse was pushed to the limit by Doug Ganim.

Ganim, a former IRF World Champion in doubles, was up two games to one on Clouse, but the reigning champion dug in and pulled out the victory, 9-5, 7-9, 6-9, 9-3, 9-5.

Second seed and 2008 US Open Champion Jimmy Lowe won his match in four games against Jeff Stark, 9-4, 9-4, 6-9, 9-7.

Kane Waselenchuk will have a chance for US Open title #8 as he's once again reached the final, as he beat Alvaro Beltran, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8, in the semi-finals of the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis on Saturday. Waselenchuk, the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), has played in 11 US Opens and reached the final eight times, winning the first seven. Sunday could be number eight.

Waselenchuk's opponent will be Rocky Carson, who defeated Chris Crowther, 11-1, 11-4, 11-4, in the first semi-final to reach the final for a second year running. Sunday's US Open final will be the fifth of Carson's career.

Waselenchuk drove serve almost exclusively against Beltran, but varied which side he hit to though most went to the left, which is Beltran's backhand side.

Game one wasn't close as Waselenchuk went up 4-0 and 9-1. But Beltran clawed a few points back at the end before Waselenchuk won it 11-5.

Beltran used some of that momentum to keep it close in game two. Although he fell behind 7-4, Beltran came back to tie it at 8-8. That came after they were at 7-6 in Waselenchuk's favour for several rallies, going back and forth with side-outs.

But Waselenchuk got the score up to 10-8, and although Beltran fought off four game points, Waselenchuk finished it off at 11-9.

With a stranglehold on the match, Waselenchuk began game three with a 7-0 run and looked to be runaway winner. Yet again Beltran dug in and using strong drive serves to the right side, which was to the left-handed Waselenchuk's backhand, fought his way back into the game by tying the score at 8-8.

Then Waselenchuk got the serve back and won three straight points with the winner coming off a jam drive serve that forced a weak return from Beltran that was in the middle and came off the back wall, which Waselenchuk turned into a winning pass shot down the left side.

Carson, the IRT's #2 player, was dominant against Crowther. He drove serve primarily and most often to the left - Crowther's backhand side. But Carson also mixed it up with some off speed serves from the same service set up.

Games one and two were lop-sided, but in game three Carson and Crowther were close early, as they were tied at 3-3 and 5-4 in Carson's favour.

But four points were as many as Crowther could get, as Carson put together six unanswered points to win the game and match. The end came on a drive serve ace to right side.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live, and it's also being recorded for broadcast on the Tennis Channel in the USA on Thanksgiving weekend, November 24 and 25.

Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich will playoff in the finals for the fourth consecutive year, as they won their respective semi-finals in the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) division at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Rasich defeated defeated Samantha Salas Solis, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7, giving her an opportunity to win her 5th US Open title, which would extend the women's record for US Open titles, and she could do it on her birthday: October 7.

Against Salas Solis, Rajsich used a variety of off speed serves - lobs, half lobs, and zs - during the match, and didn't resort to any drives. Afterwards, Rajsich said Salas Solis's "style is aggressive so I was trying to slow it down a bit."

Game one was close early, as Rajsich led 3-2, but then reeled off eight unanswered points to take it. In game two, Rajsich had a big lead early at 5-0, but Salas Solis narrowed the gap to 6-4.

But Rajsich never relinquished the lead, and extended it to 10-5. Although Salas Solis didn't give up, as Rajsich needed five game points to end game two at 11-7.

In game three, Salas Solis had her first lead of the match at 4-3. They continued to be close until being tied at 6-6. Then Rajsich ran the score up to 10-6, but again had trouble closing it out.

But on her fourth match point, Rajsich won it to reach the US Open final for the 9th time in thirteen US Open appearances.

But early on it looked like it might go the other way, as Sotomayor came back from a 4-0 deficit in game one to lead 6-4. But after that she only scored 5 points to Longoria's 29. Not a winning combination.

Longoria drove serve primarily in game one and early in game two before switching to half lobs, and half lobs zs, which she hit to the right side - Sotomayor's forehand.

Early Sotomayor hit drive serves and drive z serves to the right, which is Longoria's forehand side, and the z serves seemed to be effective. But she went away from that using a variety of serves both drives and lobs and never went back to that drive z.

Longoria switched back to drive serving near the end of game three, and although she faulted a couple of times, she used that to finish off the game and match.

Sotomayor certainly gave it her all, including a few dives to keep the ball in play. But after faltering slightly in game one, Longoria was too strong, and carried the day without too much difficulty.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live, and will have the women's final Sunday at 11:10 CDT.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Unseeded Veronica Sotomayor has reached the semi-finals in the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) division at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis after defeating 4th seed Krystal Csuk, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-7, in Friday's quarter finals. It's the first time an unseeded player has reached the women's pro semi-finals at the US Open since Christie Huczek (neé Van Hees) did it in 2003.

The road only gets tougher for Sotomayor though, as she'll face LPRT #1 Paola Longoria in the semis, as Longoria beat Maria Paz Muñoz, 11-3, 11-7, 11-5, in the quarters. Longoria hasn't lost a competitive match in over a year, and is the defending US Open Champion.

On the other side of the draw it will be #2 Rhonda Rajsich versus Samantha Salas Solis in the semis after Rajsich beat Susana Acosta, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3, and Salas Solis defeated Jacqueline Paraiso, 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-0, in the other quarter final matches.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live and some of the matches will be viewable for free all tournament.

2012 United Healthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota (note: numbers indicate current LPRT rank; no number means the player is unranked)

Chris Crowther has reached the US Open semi-finals for the 2nd consecutive year, as he defeated Daniel De La Rosa, 11-9, 4-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis in what was a very gritty performance for the 6th ranked player on International Racquetball Tour (IRT). It was a hard hitting match with the proof coming with the second broken ball of the match at 5-5 in the first game.

In that first game, it seemed that Crowther tweaked something in his torso and clearly seemed to labouring to get through the match. Nevertheless he was able to do so and more credit to him for that.

During the match Crowther was charged with several foot faults by stepping over the front of the service box when drive serving. On second serve, he used a off speed half lob, and generally served everything to De La Rosa's backhand side.

De La Rosa used a greater variety of serves, although early on it seemed the straight lob down the right side wall - to Crowther's forehand - was what was working best.

Game four was close early, then Crowther took a 7-3 lead in mid-game. He extended that lead to 10-5 and a tie-breaker looked like a certainty. But De La Rosa fought back and got within three points of the match at 10-8 down, when Crowther finally finished the game off.

Game five was similar, as Crowther went up 6-3 and 8-5, but De La Rosa could only manage one point after that as Crowther finished off the game at 11-6 to take the match.

More grit

The other gritty performance of the quarter finals was by Tony Carson, but it was in a losing effort, as he went down to IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, 11-1, 11-13, 11-4, 11-4. The grit came in that Carson lost to Waselenchuk 11-1, 11-2, 11-1 in the last IRT event last month in Kansas City, so it didn't seem likely that he'd do any better here.

And after 11-1 loss in game one, it didn't seem like it would be any different. Especially as Waselenchuk went up 5-0 in game two.

However, Carson dug in and strung together eight straight points to take a 8-5 lead. Waselenchuk struck back and led 9-8 when Carson took a time out. But Waselenchuk extended the lead to 10-8, yet Carson wouldn't give in.

Carson got two point to tie it at 10 and then fought off another game point, when Waselenchuk went ahead 11-10. But Carson again came back and got three straight points to take game two and level the match at one game apiece.

In game four, they were close early, and tied 4-4, when Waselenchuk put up seven unanswered points to win it. In game five, Carson took the first two points, and then Waselenchuk took the next 10 to get to match point at 10-2.

However, Carson again wouldn't let up, as he fought off four match points and scored a couple of his own before Waselenchuk ended it at 11-4.

It's the first time Waselenchuk has lost a game outside a final since March, when Jose Rojas took game one against him in the semis in Florida. His last quarter final game loss was against Anthony Herrera last year in Kansas City. Waselenchuk won both those matches in four games.

In the other quarter finals, Alvaro Beltran put an end to Alex Ackermann's best US Open of his career with a dominant victory winning 11-3, 11-3, 11-2, and #2 seed Rocky Carson defeated 7th seed Shane Vanderson, 11-3, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live and some of the matches will be viewable for free all tournament.

The final of the Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT) division at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis will not be a repeat of last year, as Corey Osborne, one of the 2011 finalists, lost in the Round of 16 Friday.

But Osborne lost to a notable player, as it was Cliff Swain who defeated him in five games, 2-9, 9-5, 9-3, 4-9, 10-8. Swain had to go through qualifying and that put him up against Osborne, who was the 4th seed, right off the bat.

It was a match worthy of at least a semi-final, if not final, and not the Round of 16.

Three time defending US Open Champion and #1 seed, Woody Clouse won his Round of 16 match by forfeit over Paul Orszulak. Second seed and 2008 US Open Champion Jimmy Lowe won his match in the 16s, but needed all five games to fend off Eduardo Avila, 9-3, 9-3, 5-9, 8-10, 9-6.

Chris Crowther has reached the US Open semi-finals for the 2nd consecutive year, as he defeated Daniel De La Rosa, 11-9, 4-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis in what was a very gritty performance for the 6th ranked player on International Racquetball Tour (IRT). It was a hard hitting match with the proof coming with the second broken ball of the match at 5-5 in the first game.

In that first game, it seemed that Crowther tweaked something in his torso and clearly seemed to labouring to get through the match. Nevertheless he was able to do so and more credit to him for that.

During the match Crowther was charged with several foot faults by stepping over the front of the service box when drive serving. On second serve, he used a off speed half lob, and generally served everything to De La Rosa's backhand side.

De La Rosa used a greater variety of serves, although early on it seemed the straight lob down the right side wall - to Crowther's forehand - was what was working best.

Game four was close early, then Crowther took a 7-3 lead in mid-game. He extended that lead to 10-5 and a tie-breaker looked like a certainty. But De La Rosa fought back and got within three points of the match at 10-8 down, when Crowther finally finished the game off.

Game five was similar, as Crowther went up 6-3 and 8-5, but De La Rosa could only manage one point after that as Crowther finished off the game at 11-6 to take the match.

In the first quarter final of the day, Alvaro Beltran put an end to Alex Ackermann's best US Open of his career with a dominant victory winning 11-3, 11-3, 11-2.

Half of the quarter finalists in the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) division at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis are from outside the top 8 seeds, as three more matches were won by lower seeded players in the Round of 16 Friday.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

A big upset in the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) competition at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis, as unseeded Jenny Daza Navia of Bolivia defeated former US Open Champion and 3rd seed Kerri Wachtel in five games, 7-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6.

Daza Navia will now play Samantha Salas Solis in the Round of 16 on Friday, as Salas Solis defeated Sharon Jackson, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-3.

Wachtel's loss is likely her earliest exit from the US Open, and was second top five player to lose on Thursday, as earlier unseeded Veronica Sotomayor defeated 5th seed Adrienne Fisher, 11-0, 11-3, 11-4, in the Round of 32.

Sotomayor was the 6th ranked women's pro player at the end of the 2008-09 season, but hasn't played in the last few seasons. Her opponent in the 16s will be another upset winner, as Jessica Parrilla defeated T. J. Baumbaugh, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2.

In fact, of the 16 LPRT matches in the Round of 32, half were won by the lower seeded player.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live and some of the matches will be viewable for free all tournament.

2012 United Healthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota (note: numbers indicate current LPRT rank; no number means the player is unranked)

Alex Ackermann continued his run through the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) draw at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis as he upset another higher seeded player, when he defeated 12th seed Anthony Herrera, 13-11, 12-10, 9-11, 13-11, in the Round of 16 Thursday.

The win puts Ackermann into the quarter finals at the US Open for the first time in his career and is the first time he's ever made the quarters at a Tier 1 or Grand Slam IRT event.

He'll play 4th seed Alvaro Beltran in the quarters, as Beltran defeated Jose Diaz, 11-7, 11-9, 11-2 in the 16s.

The other upset winner in the 16s was Daniel De La Rosa, as he defeated 3rd seed Jose Rojas, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4. De La Rosa, the 2011 Pan American Champion, has a swing speed that's unbelievably fast, especially on his forehand.

He'll play Chris Crowther in the quarters in what will be a rematch of that 2011 Pan American Championship final, as Crowther defeated left-hander Javier Moreno, 11-2, 11-2, 11-3, on Thursday.

The top and bottom bracket of the draw went according to the seedings.

On the top, IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk beat Alejandro Landa, 11-3, 11-2, 11-0, using primarily straight lob serves to both the left and right sides, and followed that up with his great shot making.

And on the bottom, #2 Rocky Carson (no relation to Tony) beat Polo Gutierrez, 5-11, 11-1, 11-4, 11-1, in what was a rematch of the 2012 World Championship final that Carson also won, and #7 Shane Vanderson defeated Charlie Pratt, 11-6, 11-3, 10-12, 11-3.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live and some of the matches will be viewable for free all tournament.

A big upset in the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) competition at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis, as unseeded Veronica Sotomayor defeated 5th seed Adrienne Fisher, 11-0, 11-3, 11-4, in the Round of 32 Thursday.

Sotomayor was the 6th ranked women's pro player at the end of the 2008-09 season, but hasn't played in the last few seasons. Her opponent in the 16s will be another upset winner, as Jessica Parrilla defeated T. J. Baumbaugh, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live and some of the matches will be viewable for free all tournament.

2012 United Healthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota (note: numbers indicate current LPRT rank; no number means the player is unranked)

Alex Ackermann caused the first big upset in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) draw as he defeated 5th seed Ben Croft in five games, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, in the Round of 32 at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis.

After having an early lead in the tie-breaker at 3-0, Ackermann fell behind to the veteran Croft, who took a 9-6 advantage and looked likely to complete the comeback after dropping the first two games. But Ackermann got the serve back and managed to tie the game helped by a couple of Croft errors and fortunate referee decisions.

Next up for Ackermann later on Thursday will be Anthony Herrera, who also needed five games to win in the 32s, as he defeated Alejandro Herrera, 11-13, 3-11, 11-6, 11-4, 13-11.

Other upsets included Jose Diaz, who beat Brad Schopieray, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3, and Polo Gutierrez, who was a winner over Juan Herrera, 11-4, 11-2, 11-3.

Early Thursday, Alvaro Beltran ended Mitch Williams's return to the US Open, although Williams did win the first game of the match. But Beltran took the next three, winning 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4. He'll play Diaz later Thursday.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live and some of the matches will be viewable for free all tournament.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) had its qualifying matches on Wednesday ahead of their main draw for the 2012 United Healthcare US Open in Minneapolis. There were no surprises, and the main draw of 32 is now complete and will be in action on Thursday.

The most interesting matches in the 32s will likely be 6th seed Kristen Bellows versus former #1 Jackie Paraiso and 5th seed Adrienne Fisher versus former top 10 player Veronica Sotomayor.

The IRT Network is streaming the US Open live and some of the matches will be viewable for free all tournament.

2012 United Healthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota (note: numbers indicate current LPRT rank; no number means the player is unranked)

THe first of the 3rd round matches in qualifying for the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Round of 32 at the 2012 United Healthcare US Open have been great. Two veterans - Gilberto Mejia of Mexico and Vincent Gagnon from Canada - both needed five games to overcome their opponents.

Mejia had a tougher time of it, as he dropped the first two games to Andres Acuña before recovering and taking the next three games to win it in five, 7-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7. Mejia will play Shane Vanderson in the Round of 32 on Thursday.

Gagnon had a close battle with Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, and had to fight off a match point in the fifth game when he trailed 8-10. But Gagnon was able to get the serve back and finish off the game, winning 11-7, 5-11, 11-4, 9-11, 12-10. He'll play 8th seed Andy Hawthorne in the Round of 32 Thursday.

Marco Rojas won Wednesday's Stockton showdown, as he defeated David Horn,
11-3, 11-0, 7-11, 12-10. That sets up a Rojas-Rojas fight in the 32s, as Marco will play 3rd seeded Jose on Thursday.

Fellow Stockton player Jose Diaz was the fortunate winner against Roland Keller, as Keller was up two games and had come back in game three from a 9-6 deficit to tie it at 9-9. Then Keller appeared to dislocate his shoulder after diving for a ball towards the right wall.

Mitch Williams, former top 10 player and US National Singles Champion, defeated Aaron Granberg, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-2, to take the Q13 spot, which puts him up against 4th seed Alvaro Beltran in the Round of 32.

Williams, a left-hander who suffered a severe shoulder injury two years ago at the US Open that led to him retiring from racquetball, drove serve backhanded to the left - Granberg's backhand. It was an usual angle that put Granberg on the defensive. Then on match point Williams hit that serve down the right side, cracking it out for an ace.

Williams, a North Carolina native now living in the Chicago area, has only been back playing racquetball for six weeks. It seems it's been time well spent, although he told The Racquetball Blog that he's here mainly for fun and to see old friends. We don't expect Williams to make regular appearances on the IRT, although as a left-hander and former World Champion in doubles, whomever is coaching the US National Team should perhaps speak to Williams about playing doubles for Team USA.

2012 United Healthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota (note: numbers preceding player names indicate current IRT rank; no number means the player is unranked)

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The draws for the 18th US Open have been revealed, and we've got the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) draws for you below. Both have qualifying events prior to the main draw, which starts in the Round of 32.

There are a few people to look for coming out of qualifying. Mitch Williams could claim the Q13 spot, which would put him up against 4th seed Alvaro Beltran, and that could be a great Round of 32 match. It would certainly be a tougher test than Beltran is looking for right off the bat.

Young gun Daniel De La Rosa will likely come out of the Q3 spot, which means he could be the player that ends Ruben Gonzalez's IRT career, as Gonzalez is the 14th seed and has announced that this US Open will be his last IRT tournament.

Canadian #2 Vincent Gagnon or Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu could come out of the Q9 bracket and either could prove to be a tough test for 8th seed Andy Hawthorne.

Finally, we like Carlos Keller Vargas, the current U18 World Champion, to get out of the Q1 slot, which would put him up against Alejandro Landa, and that would be a good match.

LPRT Draw

Early matches to watch for on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) side include 6th seed Kristen Bellows versus former #1 Jackie Paraiso in the Round of 32. Also, 5th seed Adrienne Fisher will likely be up against former top 10 player Veronica Sotomayor in the 32s.

2012 United Healthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota (note: numbers indicate current IRT rank; no number means the player is unranked)

Monday, October 1, 2012

Racquetball's "Big One" happens this week. That's right, folks: it's US Open time. The event - sponsored by United Healthcare - kicks off Wednesday in Minneapolis, and all the top players will be in action, as well as some that we haven't seen in awhile.

On the men's side, the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings are used to create the seedings for the draw. The top 16 players are all there, and will be seeded into the main draw of 32.

Of note in the top players is that Alvaro Beltran is in the 4th seed spot, which would put him up against top seed Kane Waselenchuk in the semi-finals, if results go according to seeding.

Ben Croft - the 5th seed - will have something to say about that, but we've long thought that Beltran's game style is the best match up against Waselenchuk, so if they meet in the semis, that could be the match of the tournament.

The remaining 16 spots in the 32s will come from the 68 players who are in qualifying. Thus, it could take three matches to get to the 32s.

We've got the players listed by seeding below. With so many players unranked, it's difficult to even speculate on the draw match ups.

Mitch Williams is the most prominent name in the unranked players, but he's not the only former US Team player in qualifying as Doug Eagle is also entered.

2012 United Healthcare US Open IRT Participants
Minneapolis, Minnesota

On the women's side, 24 players are put into the main draw of 32 with the rest being put into the final 8 spots. There are 37 players overall, so we expect there will be three qualifying matches to determine the final draw.

But as with the men, it's difficult to tell who will be in those matches as there are several unranked players entered, including former top 10 player Veronica Sotomayor. Former #1 Jackie Paraiso, who has a very low ranking, is also entered.

Once again, we have the players listed in order of the latest Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) rankings.

2012 United Healthcare US Open LPRT Participants
Minneapolis, Minnesota